IBiS: Isotopes in Biogenic Silica

Biogenic Silica

The study of biogenic silica (silica deposited in plants,
algae and animals) in Quaternary sediments is currently being revolutionised
by technical advances in stable-isotope mass spectrometry, ICP-MS and 32Si
dating.

Growing interest in the global biogeochemical cycle of silicon
and its coupling with the carbon cycle is evident from an upsurge of
papers in Nature and Science, while a wide range of disciplines
including physiology, ecology, geochemistry, hydrology, geomorphology,
pedology, agronomy, forestry, limnology, oceanography and biogeochemical
modelling has begun to focus on processes involving biogenic silica
in the modern environment. IBiS is a QRA sponsored
research group.